Voicing Shrek - A Look at the Shrek Voice Talent A Look at the Voices in DreamWorks' animated Shrek movie. Voicing Shrek by Joe Tracy, Publisher of Digital Media FX (digitalmediafx.com) Large scale animated productions, like Shrek, depend on Hollywood celebrities to bring animated character voices to life. While having celebrities attached to an animated film is a major blow to voice actors, it provides major marketing potential for studios. Celebrities starring in DreamWorks' Shrek include Mike Meyers as Shrek, Eddie Murphy as Donkey, Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona, and John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad. The main star, of course, is Shrek - a disgusting ogre who reacts to his swamp home being invaded by fairy tale characters. As the star, it was important for the voice artist to bring out the disgusting habits of Shrek while still making him lovable. "Shrek is no dreamboat, but Mike understood the heart and soul of the character and brought out his wonderful lovable qualities," says DreamWorks principle Jeffrey Katzenberg.

In the way he brought Shrek's words to life, Mike gave him his heart and we were able to mold our physical character around his voice." Sometimes voicing a character creates opportunities to improvise, which brings more life to the character. "We spent a lot of time in the studio discovering who Mike Myers as Shrek was, and experimenting with different voices and different accents," says Andrew Adamson, one of the films two directors. "The truth is, when you cast Mike Myers in a role, you don't just get Mike Myers; you get the plethora of characterizations he can create. He is the best at inventing a character and stepping into it. And once he's in it, he stays in it - even between takes - which gave him a great base from which to start improvising. The improv moments are gold; those are the moments that give the animators the most to go on, because at that point, it's not a written piece of dialogue - it's a character come to life." Playing Shrek's "sidekick" is a donkey named Donkey. For the voice, the Shrek team selected Eddie Murphy.

Murphy's last experience as a voice over artist came in Disney's Mulan where he played Mulan's sidekick, Mushu the Dragon. Murphy freely admits that there are big differences between voice acting and live action acting. "Animation is a much more collaborative process than acting with my body and my face," says Murphy. "It's a trip to have the director ask for a small inflection in your voice, and then, when the scene is drawn, you see how that slight change brings out the emotion. Another reason I like doing animated films is that, when they're done right, they're timeless, and my kids really get into them They love hearing their father's voice come out of a cartoon." Playing the role of the princess - who is unlike any past animated fairy tale princess - is actress Cameron Diaz. She describes the princess as "a little spark plug." What makes Shrek different for Diaz is that it is her first ever voicing of an animated character. She had no idea of what to expect. "They told me that Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy were in most of my scenes, so I expected to walk into the room and find them both there and do lines together," says Diaz.

"Instead, I got storyboards and a pointer stick running across dialogue on the bottom. I thought, 'Okay, this is different,' but it turned out to be very cool." One of Diaz's sequences in the movie includes a fight scene that mimics some moves from The Matrix. Diaz was psyched about that part of the movie because she was doing intense daily martial arts training for Charlie's Angels. "She would come in all pumped up from training and suddenly break into fighting noises and threaten to take one of the story artists out - in Chinese no less," laughs Adamson. So, if all the main characters are voiced by Hollywood celebrities then you'd expect voice artists to get the minor roles, right? Well not quite. When storyboard artists and other crew pitch an idea to the directors, they act out the characters in the sequence, including character dialogue. The Shrek filmmakers were so impressed with some of these performances that they cast some of their crew as animated character voices. This includes story artist Conrad Vernon as the Gingerbread Man, Chris Miller as Geppetto (and as the Magic Mirror), Cody Cameron as Pinocchio (and one of the three little pigs), and Christopher Knights as one of the three blind mice.

A few real life voice artists did make their way into Shrek. One well-known voice artist, Jim Cummings, was cast as the Captain of the Guards. Cummings has voiced over 100 animated characters in his lifetime. This includes voicing Tigger and Winnie the Pooh in last year's Disney animated film, The Tigger Movie. Here is a complete list of the voice cast for Shrek: Shrek Shrek (2001) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error After his swamp is filled with magical creatures, Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona for a villainous lord in order to get his land back.

Directors: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON TV a list of 36 titles created 14 Jan 2012 a list of 41 titles created 12 Aug 2014 a list of 30 titles created 18 Oct 2015 a list of 35 titles created 16 Nov 2015 a list of 44 titles created 6 months ago Search for " Shrek " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 1 Oscar. Another 37 wins & 60 nominations. See more awards » Videos Directors: Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and 1 more credit » Stars: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world.

Director: Brad Bird 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X When his new father-in-law, King Harold falls ill, Shrek is looked at as the heir to the land of Far, Far Away. Not one to give up his beloved swamp, Shrek recruits his friends Donkey and Puss in Boots to install the rebellious Artie as the new king. Princess Fiona, however, rallies a band of royal girlfriends to fend off a coup d'etat by the jilted Prince Charming. Directors: Chris Miller, Raman Hui Stars: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous restaurant. Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava Stars: Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt Set during the Ice Age, a sabertooth tiger, a sloth, and a wooly mammoth find a lost human infant, and they try to return him to his tribe.

Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha Stars: Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Ray Romano Spoiled by their upbringing and unaware of what wildlife really is, four animals from the New York Central Zoo escape, unwittingly assisted by four absconding penguins, and find themselves in Madagascar. Directors: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath Stars: Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer Directors: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, and 1 more credit » Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack The Dragon Warrior has to clash against the savage Tai Lung as China's fate hangs in the balance: However, the Dragon Warrior mantle is supposedly mistaken to be bestowed upon an obese panda who is a tyro in martial arts. Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson Stars: Jack Black, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds their love is profoundly changing him for the better.

Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud Stars: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand A hot-shot race-car named Lightning McQueen gets waylaid in Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship and family. Directors: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft Stars: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman Rumpelstiltskin tricks a mid-life crisis burdened Shrek into allowing himself to be erased from existence and cast in a dark alternate timeline where Rumpel rules supreme. Director: Mike Mitchell Directors: Pete Docter, David Silverman, and 1 more credit » Stars: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs Edit Storyline When a green ogre named Shrek discovers his swamp has been 'swamped' with all sorts of fairytale creatures by the scheming Lord Farquaad, Shrek sets out with a very loud donkey by his side to 'persuade' Farquaad to give Shrek his swamp back. Instead, a deal is made. Farquaad, who wants to become the King, sends Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona, who is awaiting her true love in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon.

But once they head back with Fiona, it starts to become apparent that not only does Shrek, an ugly ogre, begin to fall in love with the lovely princess, but Fiona is also hiding a huge secret. Written by Film_Fan The greatest fairy tale never told. See more » Genres: Rated PG for mild language and some crude humor | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 18 May 2001 (USA) See more » Also Known As: $42,347,760 (USA) (18 May 2001) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia Donkey and Fiona are the only characters to refer to Shrek by name in this film. Others would later do so in the other films. See more » Goofs During the campfire scene, with the shot that has Shrek looking at the camera, his left eye goes through the left eyelids. See more » Quotes [first lines] [a fairytale book appears] Shrek : [narrating] Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort, which could only be broken by love's first kiss.

She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon's keep, in the highest room of the tallest tower, for her true love, and true love's first kiss. [...] Crazy Credits The opening credits are seen around Shrek as he starts his day: the film's title and Mike Myers 's name appear in the mud Shrek bathes with (appropriate considering Myers voices the title character) when Shrek breaks the mirror with his smile, Eddie Murphy 's name can be seen behind it Cameron Diaz 's name forms out of pond-scum and when Shrek lifts up a snail, its larvae form John Lithgow 's name before dissolving. (United States) – See all my reviews Shrek is a movie like no other. It stands alone in its appeal to people of all ages and in its presentation of comedy, romance, and creative story line. Shrek is a delightful comedy about a crude ogre, an energetic princess, a witty donkey and an uptight ruler.

The movie has a brilliant story line, following the path of an initially moody ogre as he discovers friendship and love all in the face of hysterical comedy. The story line is layered for different levels of understanding; it is an enjoyable film for people of all ages. One clever tool Shrek uses to humor the audience is its spoof on other fairy tales. In one scene, Princess Fiona's singing causes a bluebird to explode. And in another scene, the Magic Mirror's description of Snow White is "She may live with seven men, but don't be fooled, she's not easy." While these subtle comedic lines amuse adults, it is the simple humor, such as the movie opening with the ogre sitting in a swamp "farting," that amuses children. The amazing cast of Shrek, including Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers does a great job of living up to their comedic expectations. Shrek has something for everyone; it is a great animated tale that is wonderful for adults and children alike. 67 of 88 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Shrek (film) | WikiShrek | Fandom powered by Wikia Shrek is the first feature film in the Shrek franchise , starring Mike Myers , Eddie Murphy , Cameron Diaz , and John Lithgow . The film was critically acclaimed as an animated film worthy of adult interest, with many adult-oriented jokes and themes, but a simple enough plot and humor to appeal to children. It made notable use of pop music—the soundtrack includes music by Smash Mouth, Eels, Joan Jett, the Proclaimers, Jason Wade, the Baha Men, and Rufus Wainwright. The film was extremely successful on release in 2001 and it helped establish DreamWorks as a prime competitor to Disney and Pixar in the field of feature film animation, particularly in computer animation. Furthermore, Shrek was made the mascot for the company's animation productions. Contents [ show ] Plot summary The movie starts at Shrek 's swamp. Shrek takes a mud shower and then travels into the woods to hang up signs to keep people away from his swamp.

Shrek decides to travel the country to see Lord Farquaad to try to regain his privacy, but an energetic and talkative donkey named Donkey (who escaped from guards who went after him, and was saved by Shrek) tags along. The two make it to Farquaad ( John Lithgow )'s palace in Duloc and come across a knight tournament to decide who will rescue Princess Fiona from a castle surrounded by lava and protected by a fire-breathing dragon so that Farquaad may marry her. Shrek and Donkey easily best the other knights, and Farquaad agrees to nullify his order if Shrek goes on to rescue Fiona ( Cameron Diaz ), a deal that Shrek agrees to. Shrek and Donkey travel to the castle and split up to find Fiona. Donkey manages to encounter the dragon ( Frank Welker ; uncredited), sweet-talking the beast to save himself when he finds out the dragon is a girl dragon, and she takes a liking to Donkey, taking him back to her chambers. When Shrek finds Fiona, she is appalled at his lack of romanticism.

As they're leaving, Shrek manages to save Donkey, caught in the dragon's tender love, and making the dragon become irate, chasing Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey out of the castle, but unable to follow. At first, Fiona is thrilled to be rescued, but quickly becomes disgusted to find out that Shrek is an ogre. The three make their return journey to Farquaad's palace, with Shrek and Fiona finding they have more in common with each other along the way, and falling in love. However, at night, Fiona doesn't want to camp with Shrek and Donkey, taking shelter in a nearby cave until morning. The next night, Fiona takes shelter in a nearby windmill. When Donkey hears strange noises coming from the windmill, he finds that Fiona has turned into an ogress. Fiona explains that she was cursed as a kid and turns into an ogress every night, which is why she was locked away in the castle, and that only a kiss from her true love will return her to her proper form. Shrek overhears them talking, and, thinking that they're talking about him being ugly, walks off sad, believing that she can't accept his appearance.

Fiona promises Donkey to not tell Shrek, vowing to do it herself, but when the next morning comes, Lord Farquaad has arrived, led by Shrek, and he returns with her to the castle, while Shrek returns to the now-vacated swamp . Shrek soon realizes that despite his privacy, he's miserable and misses Fiona. Donkey shows up to tell him that Fiona will be getting married shortly, urging Shrek into action to gain Fiona's true love. The duo travel to the fortress quickly, thanks to Dragon, who escaped her confines and followed Donkey. They interrupt the wedding before Farquaad can kiss Fiona, but not before the sun sets, making Fiona turn into an ogress in front of everyone. Angry over the change, Lord Farquaad orders his knights to kill Shrek and Fiona, but Shrek calls Dragon and she gobbles up Farquaad whole, making the knights run away in terror. Shrek and Fiona admit their love for each other and share a kiss; Fiona is bathed in light as her curse is broken, but leaving her as an ogress, a form that she wasn't expecting, but that Shrek finds beautiful.

The two get married and depart on their honeymoon, living "ugly ever after". Cast Frank Welker as Dragon / Animals' vocal effects (uncredited) Non-speaking characters include Snow White , Cinderella , the Pied Piper , and several other characters (and thus, they are uncredited). Trivia In 2001, Shrek, Monsters Inc., and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius were nominated in the 2001 best animation award and Shrek won. When Fiona is in the cave, she can slightly be seen in her ogre form. Over 1,000 fairy tale creatures invade Shrek's swamp. In the beginning of the film, all three bears from Goldilocks and the Three Bears are present. However, the second time one sees them, the boy is crying, the father is holding him, and the mother is nowhere to be seen. Later in the film, when the camera pans into Lord Faarquad's room, the mother's skin can be seen as a rug, implying that the mother was taken from the family by Farquaad and killed.

Production The idea for a film based off the original Shrek book was first thought of by Steven Speilberg, whom before the founding of Dreamworks bought the rights to the film in 1991. The film would be traditionally animated and would cast Bill Murray as Shrek, Steve Martin as Donkey, and Robin Williams (unknown). When Dreamworks was founded in 1994, producer John H. Williams brought the book to the company, and after Dreamworks bought the rights in 1995, the film was put into active development. Some sketches of Shrek were done in 1996-1997 using Photoshop, where they showed Shrek living in a garbage dump near a human village called Wart Creek. At one time it was thought that he lived with his parents and kept rotting fish in his bedroom. Chris Farley was originally going to be the voice of Shrek, being able to record 80% to 90% of the character's dialogue (or what his brother Tom believes 95%) before his death. Dreamworks later re-casted Mike Myers to voice Shrek, who then decided to re-record his lines in a Scottish accent.

The film was originally plan to be a motion capture film, with unsatisfactory results. Katzenberg said "It looked terrible, it didn't work, it wasn't funny, and we didn't like it." The company later made a visit to PDI in 1998 to help Shrek get it's final computer animated look. Soundtrack Shrek (2001) Author: Chrysanthepop from Fraggle Rock Everything about 'Shrek' has probably already been said but here's my little comment. 'Shrek' is definitely one of the most enjoyable flicks. There has been tremendous work put in the animation process. Yet, the makers haven't given the screenplay any less considerations and we are told a heartwarming but relevant story. Though the characters of Shrek, Fiona and Donkey are original (maybe Donkey is from the Musicians of Bremen?), we also meet various fairy tale characters spoofed into the screenplay providing us several hilarious moments. Among the voice talents, Eddie Murphy steals the show with his loud, expressive and vivacious voice. He also gets the best lines. No wonder Donkey remains the favorite character. Mike Myers is adequate.

However, he doesn't seem to get the accent right all the time. Cameron Diaz is good and John Lithgow does his part very well. I consider the soundtrack a must-buy. It boasts of a compilation of famous song that fairly contribute to the screenplay as background score. The writers deserve more credit for providing those memorable hilarious moments such as Fiona singing with the bird, Donkey and Dragon's affair, the snake and frog balloons and numerous other sketches. However, on the downside, there are a few plot holes e.g. Dragon's attraction towards Donkey isn't explained and why does Lord Farquaad torture the Gingerbread man? How would the Gingerbread man know about the others? Yet, the main plot of Fiona and Shrek mostly makes up for this flaw. Without any doubt, 'Shrek' is one of the best family flicks of recent time. Kids will love the colours and the fairy tale characters and grown-ups will love the witty dialogues and intelligent humour and most would love the story. Was the above review useful to you? Shrek Questions and Answers - Animated Movie by DreamWorks / PDI Below are Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Shrek. Q: What is Shrek rated?

A: Shrek is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "mild language and some crude humor." Q: Is this movie OK to take my children to see? A: This is the most frequently asked question we receive due to the film's PG rating. Even a teacher asked if it is safe to take her kindergarten class to view the movie. The only way for you to determine if the movie is OK for your children (or students) is for you to first view it by yourself. Mild language and crude humor is the reason for the PG rating. For some parents this may not be appropriate and for others it may, therefore you must first view the movie on your own to make such a determination. See our review for more information on the movie content. Q: How long is Shrek? A: The running time for Shrek is 85 minutes. Q: How much did it cost to make Shrek? A: Approximately $70 million. That does not include DreamWorks marketing budget for Shrek, which was huge.. Q: What is the Shrek story about? A: Shrek is the story of an ogre whose world is turned upside down when fairy tale characters start showing up inside his swamp home.

Banned from the evil Lord Farquaad's kingdom, the fairy tale characters are looking for a new home - only Shrek (the ogre) doesn't want his home to be their home too. So Shrek seeks out the evil Lord Farquaad to get his "pest" problem solved. Farquaad gives Shrek a quest (rescue a princess) with the guarantee that if the quest is successful, then Farquaad will intervene with the pesky fairy tale character infestation that Shrek is having. Q: I heard that Shrek has a lot of modern pop songs thrown into it. Is this true and, if so, wouldn't that ruin the movie since it is set in the past? A: Yes, some may be surprised that pop songs do play during the film, however it is important that you view Shrek in the mindset of it being a humorous parody and therefore normal rules don't apply. Parents should also be aware that there is crude humor in Shrek. If you can accept this fact prior to viewing the movie (and the fact that Ogre's, by nature, are gross creatures) then it will make it more enjoyable. Q: How many people worked on Shrek?

A: Over 275 people - including computer animators, software developers, and engineers - spent three years to create Shrek. Q: I heard that Mike Myers wasn't originally cast as the voice of Shrek. Is this true? A: Yes, it is true. Chris Farley was originally cast as the voice of Shrek, but he died while the voicing of the movie was still in progress. This is when Mike Myers was brought on board. Q: Where is the official Shrek movie site? A: The official movie site for Shrek is at Q: Can DreamWorks get away with using Disney character's in its movie? Aren't the characters copyright? A: DreamWorks can "get away" with it because A) the movie is a parody and B) Disney did not create the characters shown - they were characters (and legends) created decades and centuries ago, many by book authors. Q: Is Shrek an original movie. A: Not exactly. Shrek is based on a children's book by William Steig called "Shrek". Of course DreamWorks took a lot of leeway with its version, which often pokes fun at Disney.

Q: The name of the voice of Monsieur Hood, Vincent Cassel, looks familiar. Has he appeared or lent his voice to any other films? A: Vincent Cassel is an actor who you may recognize from the following two films (as well as numerous French films): - The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc - Gilles de Rais - Elizabeth - Duc d'Anjou Q: There has been a lot of tension between DreamWorks and Disney. Is it wise to be poking fun at your competitor? A: The tension is really between Jeffrey Katzenberg (DreamWorks principal) and Michael Eisner (Disney CEO). There are dozens of inside jokes that only people closest to the falling out between these two people will understand and there are dozens more based on widely publicized situations like Eisner calling Katzenberg "a little midget". Instead of slamming Disney in public statements, Katzenberg has chosen a more creative release mechanism through Shrek and it doesn't solely target Disney, either, in its jokes. This competitive twist put into the movie has actually increased its publicity and will likely result in more people seeing the movie.

Q: I've heard references from DreamWorks that Shrek is considered to be a "Holy Grail of CG Animation." What do they mean by this? A: The Holy Grail of CG Animation you've heard them use is in reference to "creating realistic, believable human characters; rich, organic natural environments; mixtures of fluids that interact with characters; clothing with detailed textures and movement; realistic hair, fur, and fire." While all these elements are high quality in Shrek, I don't know if I'd go as far as to call them "The Holy Grail of CG Animation." Q: Is it true that DreamWorks is not releasing the background score to Shrek?! Please tell me it is not true. A: DreamWorks has announced that they are releasing a soundtrack to Shrek filled with pop songs (which appear in the movie) from Baha Men, Smash Mouth, and other groups. On that soundtrack will be a short "medley" of edited background score selections (versus the complete score). So the answer is that, unfortunately, DreamWorks has given no indications that it plans on releasing a background score CD with the work of composers John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams.

We join others in asking that DreamWorks please consider putting out a Shrek background score CD. Q: What software was used to create Shrek? A: PDI, which created Shrek, mostly uses its own proprietary software (like its own Fluid Animation System) for its animated movies. However, for some elements it also took advantage of some of the powerhouse animation programs available to the public. This is particularly true with Maya, which PDI used for most of its dynamic cloth animation and for the hair of Fiona and Farquaad. Photoshop was also used quite a bit in the art department. There was also a touch of Softimage used in the movie. But most of the software used was PDI exclusive, created by its research and development team. Q: Did DreamWorks animate Shrek? A: Shrek was animated by DreamWorks subsidiary PDI, who also did ANTZ. DreamWorks is distributing and marketing the film. And speaking of marketing, Digital Media FX is on the record in saying that Shrek has been one of the best marketed animated films ever. Kudos to DreamWorks for doing such and excellent job (one that is costing tens of millions of dollars).

Q: What are the words to the "Duloc" theme park song in Shrek? A: The lyrics, written by Eric Darnell, are as follows: "Welcome to Duloc; such a perfect town Here we have some rules; let us lay them down Don't make waves; stay in line And we'll get along fine Duloc is a perfect place. Please keep off of the grass Shine your shoes; wipe your (pause) face Duloc is; Duloc is Shrek (2001) Shrek (2001) d. Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson, 91 minutes Film Plot Summary A large, stylized fairytale book was opened (a reference to Sleeping Beauty (1959), the christening curse), and the text was read outloud (in voice-over) as the leaves of the pages turned: Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort which could only be broken by love's first kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed.

She waited in the dragon's keep in the highest room of the tallest tower for her true love and true love's first kiss. Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) laughed and shut the book while reading it in his outhouse: "Like that's ever gonna happen. What a load of... (sound of toilet flush)." Torn out pages were used by Shrek as toilet paper. Introduced by the tune "All Star" performed by Smash Mouth (during the credits), Shrek was a large, surly, sarcastic, wisecracking, Scottish-accented greenish ogre with a round face and stinky breath, who took a mud shower outdoors near his swamp home, and blew fart bubbles in a mud pool. He had "Beware Ogre" signs posted around his dwelling, and there were Wanted Signs (with a reward) for the arrest of the Ogre and other Fairytale Creatures. Nearby villagers with torches surrounded his home that evening, but he scared them off.

The next day in town, various fairytale creatures (a unicorn, a witch, Pinocchio, an irrepressible talking Donkey (voice of Eddie Murphy), etc.) were being sold by their owners and then caged, due to the orders of diminutive aristocrat Lord Farquaad (voice of John Lithgow) who had banished Fairytale characters into exile. They were to be transported to resettlement facilities. When freed with the ogre's help, the wisecracking Donkey begged to stay with Shrek as his sidekick: "I'll stick with you. You're a mean, green, fightin' machine. Together, we'll scare the spit out of anybody that crosses us," but the green ogre wanted to live peacefully by himself ("I like my privacy"). That evening in Shrek's cottage, the reclusive Shrek sat alone at his dinner table, where his solitary life was further disrupted by the intrusive arrival of Three Blind Mice, the Seven Dwarfs, the glass-covered casket of sleeping Snow White, and the Big Bad Wolf (dressed in grandma's pajamas) sitting in his bed.

Outside were a whole host of Fairytale Creatures, including the Pied Piper, and the Three Bears, who had set up camp there. Pinocchio and the Three Little Pigs (voice of Cody Cameron) explained how they were forced to come there by Lord Farquaad, who had signed an eviction notice. Shrek vowed to visit with Farquaad to "get you all off my land and back where you came from." He would be accompanied by faithful, talkative, annoying tag-a-long Donkey: "two stalwart friends, off on a whirlwind big-city adventure," to the tune of Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again." Meanwhile, the nefarious, narcissistic midget Lord Farquaad (in the town of DuLoc), with a Prince Valiant haircut, had ordered his masked men to torture the sarcastic Gingerbread Man (voice of Conrad Vernon) (reminiscent of SNL's clay Mr. Bill character), by dunking him in a glass of milk.

Farquaad forcibly wanted to know the whereabouts of the other detestable Fairytale creatures: "You and the rest of that fairy tale trash, poisoning my perfect world." Farquaad's guards brought in a long-prized object, the Magic Mirror (voice of Chris Miller) (from Disney's Snow White film) - which told him that he wasn't technically a king yet, but could become one by marrying a princess. In a parody of the popular TV show The Dating Game (including the show's music and pop-art daisy motifs), he was given the choice of three eligible bachelorette princesses: Cinderella, Snow White, or fiery redhead Princess Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz), residing in a dragon-guarded castle surrounded by hot boiling lava. After Lord Farquaad chose the third candidate, he was about to be told about "the little thing that happens at night" to Fiona - but was silenced. The cowardly Farquaad proposed that there be a tournament. Shrek and the Donkey journeyed to Farquaad's 40 stories-high castle at DuLoc (a spoof of Disney World), where the parking lot (named after character Lancelot) and town square were seemingly deserted and quiet.

After entering a turnstile, they came upon an information booth, where a group of singing wooden puppets (a spoof of Disney's sugary It's a Small World) sang the song "Welcome to DuLoc" about the town's rules: "...DuLoc is a perfect place, Please keep off of the grass, Shine your shoes, wipe your...face, DuLoc is, DuLoc is, DuLoc is a perfect place." A trumpet fanfare led them forward to an arena where a tournament was being held for brave knights, with the winner acquiring the "privilege to go forth and rescue the lovely Princess Fiona from the fiery keep of the dragon" - Farquaad's ulterior motive was to marry Fiona after her rescue.

When Shrek approached, Farquaad changed the tournament's objective: "The one who kills the ogre will be named champion." To the tune of "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett, Shrek and the Donkey easily vanquished the armored knights, and Shrek was announced as the town's champion, who would now have the "honor of embarking on a great and noble quest." When Shrek demanded the removal of the Fairytale creatures from his swamp area, Farquaad made him a deal - "Go on this quest for me, and I'll give you your swamp back." The quest involved fighting a dragon and the rescue of Princess Fiona. Shrek and Donkey began their travel to the castle, to the tune of "I'm On My Way" performed by The Proclaimers, and as they approached they smelled brimstone. The castle was perched on an active volcano, with a moat of hot molten lava, connected only by a rickety wooden bridge. After crossing, they decided to split up and look for stairs - leading to the princess in the highest room in the tallest tower. Shrek wore a helmet of armor of protection, covering his ugly face.

The Donkey was the first to encounter a winged, yellow-eyed, monstrous fire-breathing dragon - and when Shrek came to the rescue, the dragon's tail tossed the ogre high into the air and he crashed into the Princess' chambers in the tower. To save himself, Donkey sweet-talked the dragon, complimenting the female creature on its dazzling white teeth and smile: "You're just reeking of feminine beauty." The dragon blew a heart-shaped smoke ring around the Donkey, indicating how it took a liking to him, and carried him by his tail to her chambers.

In Fiona's room, she told Shrek that she was "awaiting a knight so bold as to rescue me." But she was upset at Shrek's unromantic, unorthodox hasty approach: "Should it not be a wonderful, romantic moment?...You should sweep me off my feet out yonder window and down a rope onto your valiant steed." She wanted him to recite a song, ballad, or sonnet for her, and then presented him with her handkerchief as a token of her gratitude for rescue - yet still complained that she wanted a traditional 'fairy-tale' rescue, although all the other knights had perished saving her: "You were meant to charge in, sword drawn, banner flying, that's what all the other knights did." On their way out of the castle, Shrek came upon the Donkey, snared by an infatuated Dragon, and although he was able to extract his pal from the Dragon's clutches by swinging down on a chain and chandelier, this caused the creature to become irate.

As all three of them raced for the exit, Shrek was able to have the Dragon pursue them in circles, causing the long chain around the creature's neck to trail behind. He then took a sword and stabbed it down in-between several overlapping chain links. When they crossed the collapsing and burning rickety bridge with the Dragon close behind, the chain (now stretched to its full length) jerked the Dragon's head back, and it was unable to reach them. It whimpered as the three safely escaped.

Fiona was thankful for being rescued - "I am eternally in your debt," she told Shrek, and she called the Donkey Shrek's "noble steed." When Shrek removed his helmet so that she could look upon the face of her rescuer and kiss him (to "share true love's first kiss"), her Highness was expecting "Prince Charming" and not an ogre: "You're not supposed to be an ogre." Shrek told her that he was sent on a rescue mission by groom-to-be Lord Farquaad, and that Farquaad was "the one who wants to marry you." She obstinately told Shrek: "You can tell Lord Farquaad that if he wants to rescue me properly, I'll be waiting for him right here." Claiming he was a "delivery boy" and not a messenger, Shrek refused to let her remain behind, and carried her over his shoulder as they made the return journey. Donkey and Shrek made 'short' jokes about Farquaad when she asked about him, and she protested traveling into the night and insisted that they set up camp ("I need to find somewhere to camp now!").

Shrek found her shelter in a cave where she remained throughout the night, as Shrek and Donkey observed constellations in the starry night sky. The ogre was planning to build a 10-foot wall around his swamp land when they returned, and he finally admitted he wanted to keep everyone out and be alone: "It's the world that seems to have a problem with me. People take one look at me and go 'Aah! Help! Run!' A big stupid ugly ogre. They judge me before they even know me. That's why I'm better off alone." In Farquaad's bedroom, he lounged in his luxurious bedroom as he repeatedly asked the Magic Mirror to show him his "perfect" Princess Fiona. The next morning, Fiona awoke at sunrise and sang to a bluebird (a mocking parody of a duet in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves) - until her high-pitched voice caused the bird to explode. She cooked up the bird's three eggs for breakfast for the group, as a way to thank them.

During their walk back, Fiona also burped following Shrek's belch, and Shrek remarked: "You're not exactly what I expected." She replied: "Maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them." Monsieur Hood (voice of Vincent Cassel) and his Merry Men swooped down from the trees and entertained them with his theme song "Merry Men." Fiona was annoyed, knocked Monsieur Hood unconscious, and then used her martial arts skills, with an aerial The Matrix-style, to fell the others, while Shrek responded with amazement. Fiona extracted an arrow from Shrek's butt, after which Shrek bent a tree so she could cross a small brook. She took a spider's web from a tree branch and used it to catch bugs in a field - and wrapped it up as a snack for Shrek, and they each made balloon animals for each other from an inflated toad and snake. When they arrived at a windmill near DuLoc, Fiona convinced them to stay for the evening, and Shrek barbecued weedrat rotisserie-style over a fire.

Fiona and Shrek took a liking to each other, to the tune "You Belong to Me." When the sun was setting, she claimed she was afraid of the dark and frantically took shelter inside for the night. Donkey sensed their increasing attraction for each other: "Wake up and smell the pheromones," although Shrek (as an ogre) felt unworthy of expressing his love for the Princess. The Donkey went looking for Fiona in the dilapidated windmill, and discovered to his utter shock that she had turned into a female ogre (ogress). Due to a witch's spell cast on her when she was a little girl, she would remain that way until she found "true love's first kiss." Every night, she would turn into "this horrible, ugly beast" - until dawn's light. That was why she was placed in a castle tower for rescue by her "true love." She was distraught: "I'm a princess and this is not how a princess is meant to look." Donkey proposed that she had a lot in common with ogre Shrek, implying that she shouldn't marry Lord Farquaad.

Outside, as Shrek was practicing his confession of feelings for Fiona and walking toward the windmill with a sunflower in his hand, he overheard her say: "who could ever love a beast so hideous and ugly? 'Princess' and 'ugly' don't go together" - and thought she was referring to him. He turned, dropped the flower, and walked away dejected. Fiona felt her only chance to find happiness would be by marrying her 'true love' to break the spell. She had Donkey promise not to tell Shrek, and vowed to tell him herself, the next morning. But when morning came, and Shrek revealed that he had overheard every word she had said the previous night, they both misunderstood their real feelings for each other. There was no time to straighten things out - Shrek had already summoned Lord Farquaad to their camp, exchanging the Princess for a deed to his cleared-out swamp. She accepted Farquaad's request for her hand in marriage before the sun set: "Will you be the perfect bride for the perfect groom?", and the two returned to the castle at DuLoc, while Shrek was adamant about returning home alone to his swamp.

In a montage to the sad tune "Hallelujah" (written by Leonard Cohen and sung by John Cale), Shrek was miserable as he arrived home, while Fiona was being fitted in a wedding gown, and Donkey saw that the love-sick Dragon had followed him back to the swamp. Both Shrek and Fiona ate their meals at an empty table. After telling Shrek that Fiona's overheard talk about a hideous and ugly beast wasn't referring to him, Donkey convinced Shrek to quickly travel to DuLoc (before her marriage), riding on the back of Dragon, to tell her his feelings. They arrived just as the wedding ceremony commenced - Shrek burst in to interrupt, crying out: "I object" as he ran to the altar, where Farquaad was about to kiss Fiona to seal the forced marriage. Shrek asserted that Farquaad wasn't her true love - and that instead he had feelings of love for her. As the sun set, Fiona turned into an ogress -- and revealed her true identity to Shrek, Farquaad and the entire congregation.

As he declared himself king with the binding marriage, Farquaad ordered his men to kill Shrek and imprison Fiona back in the tower for the rest of her life. The Dragon was summoned with a whistle, and it burst through the stained-glass window and devoured Farquaad with one gulp. Perched on the Dragon's head, the Donkey quipped: "Celebrity marriages. They never last, do they?" Shrek and Fiona both declared their love for each other and kissed - true love's first kiss. Bathed in golden light, Fiona was freed from her life-long curse as it was broken, although she remained an ogress permanently - love's true form. A glorious explosion of light shattered the church's stained-glass windows.

Unsure of herself when she stated: "I'm supposed to be beautiful," Shrek reassured her: "But you are beautiful." Donkey added: "I was hoping this would be a happy ending." In the film's celebratory finale, Donkey and the other Fairytale characters sang and danced to Neil Diamond's song "I'm a Believer" (performed by Smash Mouth) -- as the couple were married in the swamp, and departed for their honeymoon in an awaiting Cinderella-style carriage - a giant onion. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty fought over their tossed wedding bouquet. The Gingerbread Man, looking like Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol (walking with one leg and a candy-cane cane), prayed: "God bless us, everyone." Cinderella and Monsieur Hood's Merry Men did the Macarena, while The Three Pigs performed a breakdance, and others did variations on the go-go, the frug, the Freddy, etc. Film Notables (Awards, Facts, etc.) With a production budget of $60 million, and box-office gross receipts of $268 million (domestic) and $484 million (worldwide).

In 2011, it was the 7th highest-grossing animated film of all time. Shrek (2001) was the third highest-grossing film in the four-film Shrek series.

Question: Who provided the voice for Shrek in the films?
Answer: MIKE MYERS